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Bonnaroo 15! Let the countdown begin! IMOO the best four days of the year are happening June 9-12 in Manchester, Tennessee and while the lineup leaked last week it was officially released last night on Conan.

Happy new music Friday! And with such, here is a new playlist for you to dive into. Hope you like this month’s collection of tracks which features new music from some household names like Ellie Goulding, SIA, !!!, JR JR (fka Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr), Rudimental and a brand new track from The 1975 as well newer acts like EL VY, firekid and Empress Of. A couple of the songs I’m most excited about on the playlist this month are “Born To Shine” by Big Grams (Big Boi and Phantogram – catch them at Treasure Island Music Festival next weekend!) and “Lose Control,” the collaboration of Glass Animals and Joey Bada$$.

Monday, Monday, Monday! Time to make this a great week and to help get your week started off in a positive way, here’s a playlist to crank up as you work away the day, drive around with the windows down or just to just relax and enjoy the sunshine. Hope you like it and stay positive!

Wow, I can’t believe I haven’t put these guys below on the blog after their album has been on repeat for me the past month plus. Without further adieu, your music for today.

Four words: Family of the Year

Who? A four-piece indie outfit from LA with ties to different parts of the country and across the pond.

What? A kickass, highly talented band throwing you a bit of indie-rock and pop, folk, island vibes and more in a way that works and will have you hand clapping and boot stomping in no time.

Why you should listen? Just play their new album, Loma Vista, and you’ll understand exactly why.

A reason you’ll be excited? If you like GROUPLOVE, you’re going to really dig these guys as they feature an array of vocals and variety of instruments to craft a fun, uplifting sound.

Why I’m excited: This band has been around since 2009 but I only recently discovered them and can’t wait to dive into earlier works but am more impressed with their most recent album which is seriously on repeat a few times a week.

It should be one hot, fun weekend in Chicago for Lollapalooza. Late last night the much-anticipated lineup for Lollapalooza 2012 was released and C3 Presents and Perry Farrell definitely did not disappoint. The headliners were pretty much shoe-ins with the exception of Black Sabbath and At The Drive-In (talk about reunion acts) two bands I can’t say anyone really expected. RHCP, The Black Keys, Jack White, Florence + The Machine are all doing their fair share of festival headlining this summer. Add Justice and Avicii to that list and it is going to be a heck of a good time.

But even more thrilling was seeing some really awesome smaller acts tabbed to play; like First Aid Kit, Bombay Bicycle Club, GIVERS, Michael Kiwanuka, The Growlers, Hey Rossetta!, JEFF The Brotherhood, The Jezabels, Moon Taxi, Chancellor Warhol, The War On Drugs.

Also I have to say I love the logo used on the lineup poster, YEAR OF THE DRAGON.

Since I wasn’t able to make it to SXSW I had my buddy Mike Watson share his experience and the highlights from Austin. He definitely had the chance to hear a ton of great bands and catch some very unique performances. Hope you enjoy!

Bands I had never seen live:
Top 3

Of Monsters and Men

Walk the Moon

GIVERS

They all put on amazing shows. Of Monsters of Men had never played in the US. Saw them twice. I was at their first US show and it was in a bike shop. Gotta love SXSW. I really think they are going to blow up. Talked to them at the Mumford & Sons concert and their album is being released in the US on April 3. I had been a fan of Walk the Moon and GIVERS for a while now and they definitely didn’t disappoint. The both put on incredible shows. There is no wonder they get so much buzz. Even if you don’t know a single song of theirs they will have you a fan after seeing them live.

I would say Walk the Moon and GIVERS put on the best shows from the bands I had never seen, along with Gary Clark Jr. Gary Clark is just unbelievable on guitar. I see why Clapton has taken him under his wing. The dude is going to be the next big thing, he already is in the blues guitar community. He played at the White House with Buddy Guy, Jeff Beck, and Mick Jagger. Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr also put on a hell of a show, but I am just not into their music. Maybe it will grow on me. Fun. was a band that obviously had a lot of hype with the song out right now “We are Young”. They have a lot of other great songs though. The title track of their album was awesome live, “Some Nights”. I had never seen Keane before. I absolutely love their first album from a few years back and they sounded really good live. The lead singer’s vocals were spot on.

I was really excited to see Princeton. I love their album but they didn’t have a lot of energy in their show. Maybe it had something to do with it being 11am on a Thursday but a band should not have to say “y’all look tired”. They should be able to amp up the crowd on their own. I was also excited to see Reptar but they just didn’t sound good live. I will have to give them another chance. Tennis was another band that I was excited to see but the show left a lot to be desired.

Bands I have seen before:Top 3

Temper Trap

Mumford and Sons

Band of Skulls

Temper Trap played a few new songs and in particular the song “Trembling Hands” was amazing. They are just great live. Band of Skulls lead man is so incredibly talented on the guitar. Some of the stuff they pull off live is just amazing. He really makes the band because the girl doesn’t do much on stage. Everyone knows how good Mumford is. They played a few new songs that were really good. I see their second album having the same success as their first.

Bands I didn’t get to see but wanted to:

Alabama Shakes – They were THE buzz band going into SXSW this year. Much like Foster the People last year.

Finally, here is a list of bands I saw, I know I am missing some but can’t remember them all:

He’s My Brother, She’s My Sister @ Bayou
These people brought a ton of energy. The chick drummer plays standing on top of a drum head wearing tap shoes. It was crazy. So much fun. I had never heard them before but they were a great live show. I am going to have to listen to them more.

Dawes @ Cedar Street

Future Unlimited and Princeton @ Beauty Bar

Tennis @ Stage on 6th

Big Deal @ Hype Hotel

Of Monsters and Men @ Mellow Johnny’s (First time playing in the USA)

Punch Brothers, Ed Sheeran (This guy was cool, was just him and his guitar. He would play something, loop it, and then play riffs over it. Was awesome show), Kimbra (She was awful), Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr, Dr. John, Gary Clark Jr all @ La Zona Rosa

They played the Railroad Documentary on a screen. This was probably my favorite part of the weekend. Weather was perfect and the documentary was incredible. Oh and those bands are pretty damn good too.

Another year of anticipation has come and gone as the 2012 Coachella line-up was released and while it’s pretty awesome they secured all the acts for back-to-back weekends on April 13-15 and April 20-22 I have to say my initial reaction was meh. Don’t get me wrong, there are a ton of phenomenal musicians slated to play the festival but I personally feel they lacked in the bigger acts category but did a stellar job with the smaller ones.

Headliners: Radiohead, great score and definitely one of the most sought after acts this year, The Black Keys love ‘em but bumping them up one slot from last year into the headline act…., Dre and Snoop, ok I get it and Cali kids will probably love this but is this how you really want to close out three days of music (I’ll probably be eating my words as this may end up being the most talked about performance)?

Also this year has so much more EDM and on the main stages, I know its music of the present but I wonder if/how it will influence and change the dynamic of the festival since it’s thrust to the top. I’m a big fan of EDM and these artists but Swedish House Mafia, David Guetta, Avicii, Kaskade, Afrojack, Justice, Sebastian Ingrosso and Madeon all as “main acts” it could get interesting just look at how many other EDM acts are booked.

Something else that I love and hope is a trend for all the festivals this year is the addition of acts from outside the United States. Bands like WU LYF, Wolf Gang, M83, The Vaccines, The Hives and others that are extremely talented will get introduced to so many new fans.

All in will it be fun, heck yeah but what else will be fun is Coachella East aka Las Vegas. With a week in between you better believe Las Vegas is going to be a mid-week retreat with acts popping up for DJ sets in clubs and concerts peppered all over the Las Vegas Strip.

First day of July and heading into a festive holiday weekend, what a perfect time to unveil the DoYouHearTheMusic.com Summer Playlist. If you are a frequent visitor to the blog you should be familiar with a lot of the selections and quite candidly, these are the songs you should be listening to this summer. Without further adieu, the Summer Playlist:

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